Who's Your Favorite Dictator?

In honor of President Hosni Mubarak's fall from office last week, I thought I would do an "Ode to Dictators" post. The following is my list of "favorite dictators."

Disclaimer: By saying these dictators are my "favorite," I am in no way saying that I agree with their policies and/or lack of respect for human rights. The information and data published on the website is strictly for fun.
Any opinions or viewpoints that are published herein are directly from the contributing author and does not represent the philosophy or viewpoints of the author of this blog.
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First up, the leader of Lybia. I saw this picture of Colonel Muammar Qaddafi online the other day and was so amused by it that I had to save it to our desktop. Charles saw the picture and re-saved it as "Joycee's Dreamboat." Nice! Later he re-named it again, "Hubba Dude." I love his curled lip, serious look in his eyes and messy hair together with his crisp, military uniform. It rocks. I have to admit, I have had a fascination with this man for a few years now. He is such an interesting character with his flamboyant dress and gun-toting female bodyguards.

You can see some of his female bodyguards behind him in this picture.

Qadaffi laid out his political philosophy in the 1970s in his "Green Book" (which I own). It's an alternative to both socialism and capitalism, combined with aspects of Islam. It is uniquely his. In fact, I acquired the Green Book almost at the cost of my future career (at the time). I was in Syria at the time and really wanted to get a copy of the Green Book. The U.S. does not have a Libyan embassy but Syria does. So I thought it was the perfect opportunity to acquire this little gem. I went to the Libyan embassy and asked for a copy. They asked to see my passport which I handed over without hesitation. They made several photocopies of it and handed it back with my Green Book. A short time later, I realized that my future dreams to work for the CIA/NSA or U.S. Government were most likely destroyed because I now had my name on record with the Libyans....

Check him out in this picture. Wow! Is that the same guy?

Here is a classic!


Anyway, Muammar is NOT my ONLY favorite dictator. There are others, such as:

Yasser Arafat! I used to call him simply, "Yasser." I still own a white t-shirt with his smiling face on it (that looks very similar to the picture above) and the Palestinian flag waving in the background. I have not ever washed it either. I don't dare. I fear the iron-on applique will come off. When I have worn it, I only keep it on for short periods and am careful not to sweat in it. I wore it in college when I was competing in something called "Model Arab League" and was representing the Palestinians.

I remember when I was in Bethlehem and we had just walked into the Church of the Nativity. I had just crouched down to touch the spot where some believe Jesus was born, when I heard that Yasser Arafat was going to appear outside. I jumped up without a moment's hesitation and ran out to see him. There was a small crowd. I was with my Aunt Gertrud and cousin Susi. I gave my camera to a tall man (if I remember correctly) so I could get pictures of him. My adrenaline was pumping and I could not have been MORE excited! I saw Yasser!

Hafez al Assad is also a favorite of mine. I must say though, I am a bigger fan of his son but I will get to him in a second. I like Hafez al Assad because he was the president of Syria when I first visited the country in 1999 (he died in 2000). He was president for 30 years. A solid dictator. I remember driving through a very uninhabited part of Syria where there was literally desert as far as you could see and spotting in the distance a statue of Hafez waving. I found it so peculiar that there would be a statue so far out and in the middle of no where that I was intrigued.

I still own a heart-shaped key chain with a picture of Hafez al Assad on one side and his son, Bashar al Assad on the other side.

I got the privilege to return to Syria after Hafez had died and was able to go to his hometown of Qardaha and see where he was buried along with his son Basil who was supposed to be his successor until he died in a car accident.

This is the son of Hafez al Assad, his name is Bashar al Assad. (Isn't his wife hot? More about her in a minute.) He came to power in 2000 after his father died. I became obsessed with Bashar when I found out his father had died. I read article after article and wondered what kind of leader Bashar would be. I had high hopes that he would bring great change to Syria because he was not groomed to be the president after his father. Originally it was his older brother Basil (like I mentioned previously). Bashar initially was going to be an eye doctor and had been educated in London. I believe that is when he met his wife, Asma who is a British-born Sunni Muslim. She had worked for JP Morgan and Deutsche Bank. She is well-known for her high fashion sense.

When I returned to Syria in 2001. Our group got to know a prominent Syrian businessman who kept telling us he would try and get us an opportunity to meet the president. I was so overcome with excitement I could hardly contain myself. I thought about how great it would be all the time. I wanted to meet Bashar more than anything at that time. I even had a dream once that I got to play soccer with him. We never did get to meet him but we did write letters to him in our best Arabic and told him about our experiences in Syria.

Ok one more picture of just Bashar.

Next up, a man NOT from the Middle East, Mao Zedong of China or Chairman Mao. He ruled China for 33 years! I first became interested in Mao when I took a class at the University of Utah on Chinese Politics. I ended up doing my senior thesis on how the United States sold weapons to Israel who then sold them to China. Those weapons were then used against the United States when they were defending Taiwan. A viscious little cycle. I must admit, I know I learned a lot about him in that class and how he mobilized the peasants and something about the Red Army and the long march but I don't remember much. Whatever I learned, it has stuck in my mind that I thought he was pretty fascinating. I have never been to China. He died the year I was born so there was no possibility of meeting him either. But for some reason, I have held on to him as one of my favorites.

Last but not least, Fidel Castro of Cuba. (Why is he so sad in this picture? I know not.) He was in office an astounding 45 years! I became interested in Castro when I read a book about Che Guevara while I was in college. Again, I don't remember a ton but the Cuban Missile Crisis was pretty cool. The fact that this tiny country has been a constant threat and annoyance to the United States makes it a favorite. I always wanted to go to Cuba simply because you weren't allowed. I own Castro's biography but as Charles will tell you, I have not read it. I plan to one day, hopefully soon.

Anyway, that completes my list.

Now the question is:

Who is YOUR favorite dictator??

The Voice of Freedom

Hello Tripoli, Cairo Calling...

I have to share an article by one of my favorite authors and an op-ed writer for the NY Times, Tom Friedman. He wrote the following article about Egypt's new found freedom. I have been watching events in Egypt for the past few weeks very closely. I have read every article I can get my hands on from both the American and foreign press. I am overjoyed at what has happened in Egypt and excited for what the future holds for the country. I am also very curious to see if others follow.

POSTCARD FROM EGYPT
By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN
Published in the NY Times: February 11, 2011


Circulating through the streets of Cairo Friday night, with families packed into cars honking their horns in celebration and everyone strolling to Tahrir Square, I heard so many celebratory chants, but none more accurate and powerful in its simplicity than this one: “The people of Egypt made the regime step down.’’

The overwhelming sense of personal empowerment here, by a people so long kept down and underestimated by their own government was a sight to behold.

Tomorrow we can all talk about how hard this transition will be, how many pitfalls and uncertainties lie ahead for Egypt, but to be in Tahrir Square tonight, to feel the energy and pride of a people taking back the keys to their country and their future from a tired old dictator, was a privilege. As a group of men who had commandeered a horse and buggy bellowed as they crossed the Nile Bridge: “Hold your head up high. You are Egyptians.’’

My guess right now is that there are a lot of worried kings and autocrats tonight – from North Africa to Myanmar to Beijing. And it is not simply because a dictator has been brought down by his people. That has happened before. It is because the way it was done is so easy to emulate. What made this Egyptian democracy movement so powerful is its legitimacy.

It was started by youth and enabled by Facebook and Twitter. It was completely non-violent and only resorted to stone-throwing when faced with attacks by regime thugs. It drew on every segment of the Egyptian population. There was a huge flag in Tahrir Square today with a Muslim crescent moon and a Christian cross inside it. And most of all, it had no outside help.

In some ways, President Barack Obama did the Egyptian revolution a great favor by never fully endorsing it and never even getting his act together for how to deal with it. This meant in the end that Egyptians know they did this for themselves by themselves – with nothing but their own willpower, unity and creativity.

This was a total do-it-yourself revolution. This means that anyone in the neighborhood can copy it by dialing 1-800-Tahrir Square. And that is why my favorite chant of all that I heard coming back from Tahrir tonight was directed at the leader next door, Muammar el-Qaddafi of Libya. It said, “We don’t leave Tahrir until Qaddafi leaves office.’’ Hello Tripoli, Cairo calling.

In many ways, what we have witnessed in Egypt today is the real decolonization of this country. That is, after the British left Egypt, the country was ruled by an incompetent king and then, since 1952, by a stifling, top-down military dictatorship. For the first time in modern history, “Egypt is truly in the hands of its own people,’’ remarked Egyptian political scientist Maamoun Fandy.

And the sense of liberation is profound, or as another sign in Tahrir said: “Mubarak, if you are Pharaoh, we are all Moses.’’

Egypt has always been the center of gravity of the Arab world and because it drifted these past 30 years, so too did the whole Arab world. One can only hope with this liberation that Egypt can now start to catch up with history and become a leading model for Arab development. If it does, others will follow. If it does, the Arab world will have two emotional hearts, not just one.

There will always be Mecca in Saudi Arabia, where Muslims will make the pilgrimage to be closer to God. And there will be Tahrir Square, where people will come to touch freedom. For that to happen, though, Egypt will have to take this freedom it just earned and run with it – to show that it really can improve the lives of an entire nation. That will not be easy, and it will not happen overnight.

This country has a lot of catching up to do. But if Egyptians show just half the creativity, solidarity and determination in the next year of nation-building that they showed in Tahrir Square these last 18 days, they just might pull this off.

Blizzaster

It wasn't a surprise, we had blizzard warnings a day or two in advance. People who I talked to, who have lived here for years, said they had never had blizzard warnings before. I chose not to believe these silly warnings. There have been too many times when the weather man has announced a horrible storm that has never come or wasn't so horrible. I went to Costco on Monday and noticed the store was overrun with customers. Everyone was stocking up on everything as if we would be stuck in our houses for months. I laughed at these fools and got my regular items and left.
It started snowing in the late morning on Tuesday. The snow came down harder and harder as the day went on. By noon, the schools called already canceling school for the next day (Wednesday). I thought that was pretty absurd since the storm had just barely started. By the time I picked Abby up from school it was snowing harder than ever and the wind was whipping the snow and blowing everything.

We woke up the next morning knowing it had definitely been a "blizzaster!" The plows could not clear the roads very well all night because the wind was so strong. The snow piled up against our doors.

Charles and the girls (along with the entire neighborhood) played in the snow most of the morning with poor little Alexandra watching from the window. I do not have a snow suit for her so she only went out once for a short time. If you look closely, you can see the snow is up to Charles' knees!

This is what it looked like when we opened our garage. As you can imagine, it took Charles several hours of shoveling to clear the driveway. He then went and helped several neighbors. His poor little hands were so swollen and sore. After all that shoveling we were still stuck in our house because we live in a cul de sac and they are very last on the list to be plowed. Our neighbors were all out and about by Wednesday night or the latest Thursday morning. Our little cul de sac wasn't plowed until around midnight Thursday night. We were stuck in our house for two solid days and yes, we ran out of milk and several other key items.

Lesson: Next time there are blizzard warnings, run out to the stores and buy everything in sight just like everyone else!

Abby has really surprised me. She has been out in the snow for hours everyday since the "blizzaster." She loves climbing the snow mountains left by the plows and making slides and forts. She is normally not so hard core and willing to brave arctic temperatures but the polar bear within her has come out and she loves it!

So now I am impatiently waiting for spring....

I'm a Big Girl NOW!

"I'm A Big Girl Now" is from a pull-ups commercial, I think. Even though my baby ain't potty trained or wearing pull-ups yet, she sure is growing! She constantly pushes her shopping cart around our house filling it with whatever she finds. Today there was a law pamphlet called, "Now That You Are Publicly Owned...," Sammy's jacket, Alex's sippee cup, knee pads, and select pieces of our tea set in her little cart. Charles fears that we are turning her into a little shopper. She tries to get our attention by getting the cart "stuck," but its not stuck she just pretends it is so we come over and help her.

Here she is with her cart amazingly empty except for a doll she stole from Sammy.

Alexandra is obsessed with her tooth brush. She has the cleanest teeth around if you can get past the fact that it has been dropped in the diaper pail one too many times...

More shopping....

She loves getting into the pantry and pulling out anything she can get her hands on. One day she found a bag of chocolate chips that was open and accidentally spilled them all over. Don't worry, she cleaned up her mess so well, I didn't even know it happened until after the girls reported her and I found the empty bag.




Here she is giving Abby and Sammy a few pointers on how to play hang man. They were playing and she was not satisfied until she got to take a turn.

The ballerina girl loves to play with our leapfrog three letter spell toy. She doesn't spell much instead she throws the letters all over the kitchen floor. What a joy! This crazy girl certainly keeps us all entertained!

Book Recommendation

Soon after the fall of the Taliban, in 2001, Deborah Rodriguez went to Afghanistan as part of a group offering humanitarian aid to this war-torn nation. Surrounded by men and women whose skills–as doctors, nurses, and therapists–seemed eminently more practical than her own, Rodriguez, a hairdresser and mother of two from Michigan, despaired of being of any real use. Yet she soon found she had a gift for befriending Afghans, and once her profession became known she was eagerly sought out by Westerners desperate for a good haircut and by Afghan women, who have a long and proud tradition of running their own beauty salons. Thus an idea was born. With the help of corporate and international sponsors, the Kabul Beauty School welcomed its first class in 2003.

The Holidays

This is New Year's day morning. We were all in our pajamas most of the day recovering from the night before. We all went to a New Year's gathering at a friend's house and everyone stayed up for midnight celebrations including Alexandra! We made these hats and some shakers. We watched the countdown and blew our noisemakers, shook our shakers, banged on pots and pans, let off some small firework/streamers and danced around. We had chocolate fondue and lots of junk to eat all night. It was a lot of fun. Abby and Sammy were so proud of themselves for staying up.

Ok so the Utes lost and were pretty pathetic in their bowl game but Alex still looked way cute in her shirt!

Alex is very close to walking now. She holds our fingers and cruises along the furniture. She had a recent doctor's appointment where she had xrays done of her hips. The femur on the right side (the problem side) is now the size of the other one. All her little hip bits and pieces seem to be developing nicely (I say it this way because I don't really understand all that the doctor told me but it seemed positive and she is definitely making progress). She is right where she should be. There is still no guarentee that she will not have to have future surgery but she is on the right track and there is nothing we can do but wait.

Here are the girls and all their loot on Christmas.

We got a bunch of new hair accessories recently. These "feather boas" are some of my favorite. They remind me of flamenco dancers or something. The girls love the way the feathers move when they move.

There you go, there is a short summary of our holidays. Now bring on the New Year.